Saga "Son of Unveiled Secrets." AU Drama. Obi-Wan, L/M. Chapter #43 Thanks for the nom!

Well that was an 'edge of your seat' kind of update, lady!! Poor Rylan. And Mara's going to be devastated. Let's hope she and Luke are on better terms this time around... As always, eager for moar!!

 

Kriff! I was right about Rylan. It's pity. He was really a good guy, and would have made really good husband for Mara. Our girl will be devastated. The Force took away her man, and again brought her to Luke.

 

on the action and about Rylan ... but I am happy Mara came through. I am also happy Luke is in a position to offer consolation LOL

 

Why do you do this to us!?


Edit: The Admiral's name is spelled Ackbar, I believe.

 

What an update! A couple of things I loved here: Luke's regrets over Mara (it's a start!), him using her pet-name, and Mara...oh, the poor girl. This is gonna take some time. I bet this will wake Luke up, and she'll shut down. Which they need! All in good time. Wonderful chapter!!

 

Mara will be devastated, but they've dealt with loss before I think...so I would hope Luke can try to comfort her.

 

Stop killing people! The profics did too much of that. Mara is going to be shattered over her loss.

 

great update and I knew you would kill Rylan so Luke and Mara can work things out

 

I just found this and I can't stop reading it - it's fabulous so far! Can't wait for the next chapter!

 

Thanks to all for reading! I have to admit your responses had me laughing a lot this week!

aleja2: Thank you so much! appreciate your kind words and response!

Falcon: You KNEW Rylan was headed for that big rebel base in the sky? That's weird how you can read my mind! thanks!

Jedi_Lover: "Stop killing people!" Yea, your post did crack me up. Poor Rylan--plotzoned.Thanks.

Jedi_Liz: You're right, but will she ALLOW Luke to render comfort??? Thank you for reading.

taramidala: You're so smart!!!!! Thanks!

Random Comments: BECAUSE I CAN! Thanks for catching the typo and for posting!

Nyota's Heart: Mara's not in any mood for consolation right now, but I'm counting on Luke to see her through. Thank you!

Demendora: I hate killing off OCs but there is a purpose. Thank you for hanging in there with me

ginchy lee: But I always end happily ever...well, not always! Thank you for hanging in through the angst.

 

Chapter #39


Mara groaned as she tried to breathe. Dead? No, Rylan couldn’t be dead, they were just talking…

Luke placed a hand on her belly. “Try to take deeper breathes, Cheeka.” He turned to Wes. “Hand me the first aid kit.”

“You’ve got the first aid kit, Jedi boy. I’ve got the big honking blaster, which is now only 52% charged after shooting so many Imps—love this baby.” Wes lifted the weapon to his lips. “Ow! Hot! But, I have to admit if it wasn’t for that glow stick of yours, we wouldn’t have been able to break into this pile of junk.”

“Lightsaber.”

“Whatever. I’m just saying I can see how a weapon like that can come in pretty handy.”

“Rylan?” Mara called out. She gasped at the application of cold gel on her left arm and soft hands applying a bandage.

“Mara, you’ve got to hold still while I splint your other arm.”

“I think the girl’s in shock.”

“Wouldn’t you be?” Luke laid Mara’s arm back onto the floor and pulled a plasti-cast from the kit.

Mara looked around, noticing she had been moved from her previous position. “What about Rylan?” She took in the concern of Luke’s bright blue eyes and felt the certainty of her fiancé’s death. “No…”

Luke lifted her right hand and laid it inside the cast. Removing the clear wrapper, the material softened and then shrank, encasing the broken appendage inside.

“How is she?” asked Wes.

“Broken right arm, third degree burns on the left. She’s definitely concussed. Wish we had time for a healing trance.”

“What? She’s a Jedi, too?”

Luke stuffed the rest of the first aid supplied back into his pack. “Of course. She’s my sister.”

“Sister? Dude you’ve been holding out on me!”

Luke glared. “Not now, Wes. We’ve got to get back to the ships.” He scooped Mara into his arms, easing her with the Force. She began to sob, burying her face into Luke’s neck. “Shhh…it’s okay now, Cheeka. I’ve got you. We’re going home.”

Mara pushed against Luke’s chest and screamed.

“Shhhh…Cheeka.”

“I want to see him,” she said through sobs.

Luke glanced at Wes.

“Not time, Ace,” said Wes. He shouldered his weapon and turned towards their exit. “Look, Miss, I’m sorry your team mate is gone, but bad guys could be here any minute.”

Luke paused and lowered Mara’s feet to the ground. “You go where we came in, Wes, we’ll meet you there.”

“I ain’t going nowhere without you, Sport.”

“Fine!” snapped Luke. “One minute, that’s all I’m asking.”

Wes huffed and leaned against the nearest pile of durocrete. “One minute.”

Luke walked Mara to edge of a decimated door panel and helped her kneel down.

She felt her lip begin to quiver, but bit down with her teeth. No. She wouldn’t cry anymore. Crying made her weak and weakness was not what she needed. Mara lifted Rylan’s silky dark bangs from his forehead and tried to lean in. “I can’t…I can’t reach him.”

Luke’s brows drew together. He snaked his arm around her waist, lowering her towards the body.

Rylan’s eyes were already closed, his dark black lashes fanned out on his cheeks. Mara kissed his right cheekbone and whispered, “I’ll always love you.” A forgotten emotion surged up within her. She felt her face heat and stomach clench. It echoed a familiar drumbeat that had long been exiled from her heart. Like a friend returning from a great distance. Mara breathed it in, savoring the recognizable pain. “I swear, this will not go unanswered. I will see to it, my love—whatever the cost.” She allowed Luke to pull her back up and stood next to him.

“You all right?”

Mara shook her head. “We can’t leave yet.”

“Whoa,” said Wes, “one minute. We agreed!”

“There’s something we have to check first,” said Mara. She pointed in the opposite direction. “We should have had twelve proton grenades, but had to make due with eleven. I need to see if the focus lens is still intact.”

“What difference does it make?” shouted Wes.

“The difference in preventing these D'emperiolo stoopas from building a second battle station, you loca peedunky!”

Wes’s mouth fell open without a sound.

“It won’t take that long,” said Mara.

“Right…” Wes folded his arms, cocking his head. “You sure you two are related?”

“Not really,” said Luke standing between them. “Wes, you stay here. I’ll go with Mara to check on the crystal and then we’ll meet you right back here. Two minutes, I promise.”

“We’re running out of minutes, man.” Wes backed up at the torrential look Mara flared in his direction. “Okay…two minutes. Sheesh.”

Luke lifted Mara back into his arms and ducked under what was a minimal doorway.

“It used to be about thirty meters in.”

He paused and shook his head. “I’m not altogether sure there’s anything left.”

“Regardless, I have to check,” said Mara, tucking her arms across her chest.

Luke nodded and crept across the debris field. Drawing on the Force, he steadied himself without jostling Mara and causing more pain. “I’m sorry. About the lieutenant. Were you two close?”

Mara kept her eyes on the rubble ahead of them. “Not now, Luke,” she whispered.

They crept in silence towards the edge of a mountain of material. “Here,” she said.

Luke guided her to a standing position.

“I can’t sort through this with my hands, Luke.”

He pulled out his lightsaber and started cutting through the pile. “What am I looking for exactly?”

“Something big, round and shiny.”

Luke worked up a sweat cutting and tossing pieces of unknown materiel into various piles. He paused when he noticed something reflecting his saber. Handfuls of mirror like objects littered the hole he had been digging. He picked up a piece in each hand and turned to Mara. “Does this look familiar?”

Mara stepped closed and sighed. “Yes. Somehow eleven grenades were enough.” She took one last look around and reached up to touch the ring under her shirt.

A resounding rumble broke from the hallway.

Luke turned to see the opening to the hallway collapse. “Wes! The rest of the structure began to shake. Luke scooped up Mara and headed toward the hallway.

“Too late!” she shouted. She pointed toward what was the rear of the building. “That way, the last grenade may have weakened that back wall.”

Luke moved like lightening across the scattered debris and slipped into an area by the corner. Durocrete rubble lay everywhere. He allowed Mara to slip to her feet and then snapped his lightsaber on, piercing the wall. His weapon spit and hissed as it sliced down the barrier. After rending his body length, he grabbed the metal that had once backed a durocrete wall and pulled it toward him. “Come on!”

Mara slipped out the new opening and breathed in the clear air. “Which way?”

Luke coughed and ran a hand over his face. He pulled a water flask from his bag and took a long drink, then passed it to Mara. He could hear the laser canons about 40 meters east. “I left my ship about a click north of here.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Can you walk?”

“Yes, but I’m having trouble accessing the Force.”

“Concussion, no doubt. Surface is smooth. We should be able to make good time.”

Mara nodded and followed behind him. She noticed he had his blaster out and continually scanned the area. She hated not being able to sense what was going on, but she trusted Luke. She trusted Luke. The thought surprised her for a moment. She had forgotten how things used to be. How close they used to be. Mara frowned and hustled a bit to catch up to him. A few minutes in, she began to stumble and felt Luke’s arm wrap around her waist.


XXXXX


Mara paused as Luke burst through some trees ahead of them. “Luke?” She tried to catch her breath and wondered if he was going to fire up the X-Wing to save time. She finished off the water flask and swallowed. Stars, she was going to be in bacta for a week. And a healing trance would be most welcome. Mara pushed off from a tree and entered the small forest ahead of her. Listening intently, she frowned as she was met with birdsong instead of engine ignition. She ducked under the branch of a final tree and froze.

Luke stood with his chin against his chest in the wreckage of what must have been his X-Wing.

“W-What happened?” she asked.

He turned. “Imps. Wes got out, but it looks like we’re going to have to find another way.”

...to be continued.

 

That is so not good, what about Artoo? More?

 

Great Luke and Mara teamwork/action Mara's bitter resolve is understandable but still worrisome. Glad the number of grenades proved to be enough.

 

Poor Mara. She's in shock over her loss. I'm getting depressed.

 

Ohhh, Mara! This was wonderfully written. I ache for her. And Luke, too, in a way. Poor boy has no idea.

But I am looking forward to them trekking through a forest together.

 

Amazing chapter! I love your dialogue. It flows so naturally. I could really see the situations and what was happening. And what will happen on that trek with a grieving Mara out for vengeance? Can't wait!

 

Oooh a trek through the forest. Interesting. Poor Mara. She's got a long way to go for recovery. I think the author likes torturing us!! It's a good thing that we all cry out for 'More!!!!!"

 

Oh no!!!!!!



I have to say you have written some awesome action here. And you got to use your beloved Rogue squadron! Now that work is slowing down a little, I can get back to reading your story again. It's amazing.

 

This is fantastically done. Things that I liked a lot, in no particular order:
* Obi-Wan becoming dad to Luke and Mara, and how that changes his feelings about putting them in the line of fire as originally planned.
* All the great lines. There was something about clucking hens on Tatooine. And Wes, not glad to be here. And pretty much all of Mara and Luke sounding very much like teenagers.
* The Naberrie family. I liked Sola, especially. It was believable that she would start out being extremely suspicious. The later relationship with Obi-Wan was surprising but interesting. Hopefully he doesn't figure it all out too late for the two of them; I worry about the Naberries being on Naboo and with known Jedi ties...

It's horribly sad to see Mara almost regressing thanks to Rylan's death. Back to the angry vendetta that she seemed to be putting on hold for some years. That would have to be awful. Accept the possibility of a new life and a new family, and then blam! Same old Empire destroys your loved one again. Not good...

 

One-sitting binge session on this, most delightful! Old school epic, a rare bird indeed these days! Super unique premise, richly developed. I am loving this, J_P!

 

furrylittlebantha -- Don't be a stranger now. LOL

 

Nyota's Heart - No way, not when J_P is in epic mode!

Somewhat more in-depth thoughts now that I've had some time to digest:

Lady, you have really gone all in with this one. You've always had a gift for plot rhythm and characterization, and this story showcases this - but its charms go way beyond the technical fluency. You understand why this story needs to be told. You know with incredible clarity who Ben Kenobi is in this world, what he needs, what he is capable of. You know what has changed and what is inevitable. So many AUs seem to start outside a premise looking in and then totter off into the premise vaguely - as if the "what if" is the only parameter defined and the characters and plot are left to weave about within. By contrast, you began this story defined all the way to the center - this conception of an Obi-Wan who has chosen to walk his own way when given the fork in the road.

The various movements of the story thus far have all had their unique pleasures. My favorite is the description of those quieter years when Kenobi is learning to be Owen and learning to form an attachment to Luke and grew toward a different understanding of what it means to be "Jedi" without even realizing it. A close second is the delightful sparring with Sola and how she spurred the next step change in his quiet evolution.

And of course, Luke and Mara. But that goes without saying. You've handled it realistically but kindly - it's hard to be a teenager without being an idiot - you paint their growing pains and private fears and mistakes and hopes without sentimentality or judgement, but simply a kind and clear-sighted grace. I am very much looking forward to the point in the story when their paths intersect again.

 

Love you guys! I'm recuperating from oral surgery and will be back writing very soon. Thanks for your kind words!

 

Back to reading now that school is finally over! Wonderful as always. So great to see Luke & Mara in action together. (And Furry! Now you need to write something too!)

 

update looks hopeful